Tie on a damselfly or dragonfly to match our ubiquitous hatch

What is the one order of insects that gives us a vast number of species which are found on virtually every pond and lake in New England, even newly created ponds, that fish (especially trout) readily recognize as a source of food? If you guessed Odonata, commonly known as damselflies and dragonflies, you are correct.

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Posted May. 20, 2009 at 2:00 AM

Posted May. 20, 2009 at 2:00 AM

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What is the one order of insects that gives us a vast number of species which are found on virtually every pond and lake in New England, even newly created ponds, that fish (especially trout) readily recognize as a source of food? If you guessed Odonata, commonly known as damselflies and dragonflies, you are correct.

Worldwide, there are 1,200 species of damselflies and 1,750 species of dragonflies. In North America, we are fortunate to have 110 species of damselflies and 125 species of dragonflies.

Now, you maybe thinking that certainly there are more species of mayflies or caddisflies in North America, and in fact there are, but the qualifier here is location. Even though there are more caddisflies (Order: Tricoptera), over 530 species in North America, and, even though there are more mayflies (Order: Ephemeroptera), over 350 species in North America, many of these species need specific habitat to survive.

Some mayflies, for instance, are very sensitive to pollution and simply will not survive on polluted streams or rivers. Many mayflies and caddisflies require fast moving and cold waters. These limitations serve the avid angler with the impetus to travel from one part of New England to another, in search of fishing an exotic hatch on a specific stream within a specific time-frame.

Many of the mayflies and caddisflies also have limited hatch times when they emerge from their watery homes. Some hatches last only for a few days and others may last a couple of weeks.

In regards to habitat and emerging from nymph to adult, the damselfly and the dragonfly differ in many ways from the mayfly and caddisfly. The habitat for our two Odonatas is simple: any standing water will do. Hatches can occur throughout the summer although the majority of damselflies and dragonflies emerge in late spring.

Nymphs, as well as adults, are aggressive carnivorous, and will often prey on each other as well. Aquatic insects and later, flying insects, all are under constant threat of falling prey to the damselfly and dragonfly.

Damsel nymphs can swim a relatively long distance with quick rhythmic fanning its tail as propulsion. The dragonfly nymph prefers to stalk its prey by crawling in the detritus, or layers of vegetation, found around the perimeter of the pond or lake.

Nymphs have exoskeletons, much like the lobster, and it must periodically shed the outer layer to form a larger shell to accommodate its growing body. These periodic sheds are called instars. Instars are not dictated by a set schedule but rather by favorable circumstances of water temperatures and available food source.

Nymph stages usually last a few months but there are some species that remain in the nymph stage for three to four years. This staggered development allows a more distributed hatch throughout the summer. It also presents a constant food source to the fish in a pond or lake and it is here where the angler can improve his or her chances of connecting with a trout. Whether fishing the local ponds, the lakes up north, or even the ponds in the higher elevations of the White Mountain Range in New Hampshire and Maine, the damselfly and the dragonfly are present as a food source.

The damselfly nymph pattern is easy to tie, which is good, because it is not often as easy to find in the places that sell flies. If you, as an angler, don't tie flies, make sure to approach your favorite fly shop with a request to carry a few dozen of these flies.

On a Mustad streamer hook or a nymph hook, size 12 (3x long), tie on a tail with olive marabou, making it as long as the length of the hook shank. Tie in a piece of small flat tinsel and add a small bit of olive dubbing. Wrap the dubbing around the shank of the hook and work it up to within 3/8's of an inch from the eye of the hook. Take the tinsel and make four or five wraps around the dubbing and tie off the tinsel.

Now, take a small portion of a turkey feather wing and tie it in where the dubbing and tinsel are tied off. Add a little more olive dubbing to the thread and wrap that right up to the eye of the hook. Pull the turkey feather over the last bit of dubbing, covering it on the top of the hook and tie it off. Trim the excess turkey feather, whip finish or tie a series of half hitches and the fly is completed.

The olive marabou tail gives the life-like action to this nymph fly as it is pulled in short rapid strips of the fly line. For you who like to spin-fish, you can add a swivel to the end of the fishing line and place a split-shot above the swivel. Attach a 2-foot long piece of line to the terminal end of the swivel and tie the fly at the end of the line.

The life-like replication of a damsel nymph on it's way into the shallow water to emerge as an adult is obtained by short casts of the fly to about 10 feet from the shoreline. Allow the fly to sink a little and then retrieve it at a steady pace. The fly should travel at about 5 seconds per foot. It can go slower, but it shouldn't travel any faster than that.

The damsel nymph and its cousin the dragonfly (which is tied larger and more robust than the damselfly), are two of the most common food sources for trout in any pond or lake. Though it is fun to match a specific hatch, sometimes the angler arrives at the shores of a pond and sees nothing hatching at all.

Tie on a damselfly nymph and test the waters with it. If there isn't an immediate strike, walk a few yards along the shoreline and cast the fly out there again. Sooner or later a hungry trout will attack this all-too-familiar food.